Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-04-08
THE OLD LOG CABIN.
The Cradle OF a Synod.
BY REV. d. LUTHER ROTH.

I
There is something pathetic in the
pulling down of an old house. |
marks the end of an era. 1t ring.
| down the curtain on the labors and
history of its builders, in so far al
| they stand with it connected 1t re
calls the past, and teaches that the
works of mems hands are heeting anc
evanescent. Passing away, passing
an ay, floating out OF sight down the
stream Of time, with never a check in
its ceaseless flow, go we with ouI
works, following the generations gone
| before
Ont here this balmy spring morn
ing, March the 7th, in this year Of
grace, one thousand eight hundred
and eighty seven, our ears are smit
ten with the noise and our eyes befog
ged with the dust arising from the
demolition of an old building across
the way. Our curiosity leads US tc
go over and make inquiry concerning
the disturbance. Come with US, gen
tie reader, and we shall see-what ?
What we shall see
Here we take our position to watch
for developments. The workmen
have heavy chain around a huge
round log. Look out The horse is
bending to his work. The chain
draws tense, the old beam leaves its
position with groaniug and creaking
and final crash. Step aside there
1t is coming where you stand. Over
it rolls, and out to its destination with
the others, piled in disorderly order
by the wayside.
An old white oak, with the bark on,
it is, with notches at intervals, cut to
receive the flooring joists. How long
is iii? Step it. Twenty-seven feet.
Here's carpenter rule. Measure it.
Twenty four feet. That is correct.
And the shorter ones, which compose
the ends of the building, by the same
rule, sixteen. Builded after the man.
ner of the fathers, eight foot story be-
low, and low halfstory above, The
logs were raised, each, excepting the
ground -sills, hewed with the axe
on two sides, the other sides on.
Heavy beams, everyone of them, with
a circumference out of which might
be taken from twelve to eighteen
inches of square timber One low
door, with a companion window of
eight little panes of glass, eight inches
by ten. and above them, in the half
story two other little windows, with
half as many little panes, are all the
visible openings. A most lowly
house indeed is this that is being re-
moved from the face of the earth.
And the yellow dust that flies and
fills the airs, and the short, thick bill
cts of wood lying promiscuously and
SO plentifully about, these were the
mud and sticks with which the inter-
spaces of the logs were filled in this
humble edifce.
Has it a history? Certainly. Ev-
cry house has history. That one
put up but yesterday and standing
there to-day in all the glare and glory
of red paint and yellow, and shining
with painful newness, has history
of the hopes and fears and purposes
which went into its erection. And
this one lying here, cast down and
dismembered, hoary with the marks
of the storms and sunshine of many
years upon it, all bowed down, de.
crepit, and tottering with old age, as
it was before the final act began, has
it's history. Certainly.
What is it? This old log cabin
was the first Jail erected in the county
of Butler, state of Pennsylvania. 1t
was built under contract with the
commissioners by John Negley, one
of the earliest and most respected cit
liens of the town, shortly after the
erection of the county of Butler by
the act of Legislature, passed March
-, 1900. When it was built, about
the year 1905, it stood in the midst of
hazel bushes, among which the timid
rabbits scampered, and the wary
pheasants nested The face of nature
had a different cast then from that
which it has now put on; it was wild,
rugged and severe; but, like the peo-
pie of that time, honest, strong and
true. The criminals hailed by the
strong arm of the law into the Jail
were not the polished, astute, and
cold -blooded scoundrels of the present
era; they were rough characters who.
under the influence of the power of
evil and too much whiskey on O gen.
eral muster-day, knocked out a neigh
Dor, assaulted and tbattered some fel-
low from another township, or raw
aged the wagon of the man who sold
gingerbread and beer Or they may
have stolen something, or gone across
the division line, as was shown and
demonstrated in the trial "with NAL
ice prepens e." and cut the saw-logs
and rail timber on their neighbors'
tract. Or they may have been en-
gagged in counterfeiting the coin of the
common wealth, or have run off a
horse. They did wicked things in
those "good old days" but they were
not such accursed, malicious crimes
as caused men to blush for the human
name they bear and cry to heaven for
vengeance. as are committed now.
Dragged, VI ct armis, into the
goal such prisoners came and remain
ed for trial. But as the population
increased crime increased The little
Jail became too small, too weak and
insecure to hold its unwilling tenants,
and new one was built Then John
McCulloch, in peaceful way and for
fair compensation, paid into the coun-
ty treasury, acquired possession, built
an addition to the original structure,
and domiciled his family therein. He
made crooks, and pots. and kettles,
and pans of clay and carried on in all
it's branches the business of a potter.
The town grew apace. The new
Court House of 1907 had given way
to the one of 1853, and a change was
passing over the surroundings so that
the old logjail-pottery scarcely knew
itself.
But, most strange of all the won
ders which had passed over the old
building, was that in the autumn of
1912. when a male younp man. slen-